D- Lev_16:1-34; Lev_17:1-16; Lev_18:1-30
Pgs. 391-402
Ch. 16-18 SECTION XXXVIII.
KORACH.
XVI. ButKorach bar Tizhar bar Kehath, bar Levi, with Dathan and Abiram the sons ofEliab, and On bar Peleth, of the Beni-Reuben, took his robe which was allof hyacinth, and rose up boldly, and in the face of Mosheh appointed a (different)observance in the matter of the hyacinth. [JERUSALEM. And Korach took counsel,and made division.] Mosheh had said, I have heard from the mouth of the HolyOne, whose Name be Blessed, that the fringes are to be of white, with one filamentof hyacinth; O but Korach and his companions made garments with their fringesaltogether of hyacinth, which the Lord had not commanded; and two hundred andfifty men of the sons of Israel, who had been made leaders of the congregationat the time when the journeys and encampments were appointed, by expression oftheir names, supported him. And they gathered together against Mosheh andAharon, and said to them: Let the authority you have (hitherto had) sufficeyou, for all the congregation are holy, and the Lord’s Shekinah dwelleth amongthem; and why should you be magnified over the church of the Lord?
AndMosheh heard, as if every one of them was jealous of his wife, and would havethem drink of the trial-water on account of Mosheh; and he fell on his facefor shame. And he spake with Korach and all the company who supported him,saying: In the morning the Lord will make known him whom He hath approved, andhath consecrated to approach unto His service, and who it hath pleased Himshould come nigh in ministering, unto Him. Do this: Let Korach and all thecompany of his helpers take censers, put fire in them, and lay incense uponthem before the Lord, to-morrow; and the man whom the Lord shall makeknown, he it is who is consecrated. Let it suffice to you, sons of Levi. And Moshehsaid to Korach and his kindred: Hear now, ye sons of Levi: Is it too little Foryou that the God of Israel hath set you apart from the congregation of Israelto draw near to do His service to fulfil the ministry of the Lord’s tabernacle,and to stand before the congregation to minister to them? But so hath hebrought nigh thee and all the sons of Levi with thee and now do ye demand thehigh-priesthood also? Therefore art thou and all the company of thyhelpers gathered together against the Word of the Lord: and Aharon, what is he,that you murmur against him? And Mosheh sent men to summon Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, to thehouse of the great judgment; but they said, We will not come up. Is it a littlething, that thou hast brought us from Mizraim, a land that produceth milk andhoney, to kill us in the wilderness, that ruling thou mayest domineer over us?Neither hast thou brought us into the land producing milk and honey to give usan inheritance of fields and vineyards. Wilt thou blind the eyes of the men ofthat land, that thou mayest overcome them? We shall not go up thither. AndMosheh was very wroth, and said before the Lord: I beseech thee, look not upontheir offering, the portion of their hands; for not an ass have I taken fromone of them, nor to any of them done an injury, [JERUSALEM. And it was verygrievous to Mosheh, and he said before the Lord: Regard not the portion oftheir hands; for not an ass have I taken from one of them, nor to one of themdone wrong.] And Moshehsaid to Korach, Thou, and all the company of thy helpers, come together tothe house of judgment before the Lord to-morrow, thou, they, and Aharon.And take every one his censer, and put incense upon them; and let each offerhis censer before the Lord, two hundred and fifty censers; thou also, andAharon, each man his censer. And they took every one his censer, and put firein them and sweet incense with it, and stood at the door of the tabernacle ofordinance on one side; but Mosheh and Aharon on the other side. And Korachgathered to them the whole congregation at the door of the tabernacle. And he had brought forth, from his riches, two treasureswhich he had found among the treasures of Joseph filled with silver and gold,and sought with them to drive the riches of Mosheh and Aharon out of the world;but the glory of the Lord revealed itself to all the congregation. And the Lordspake with Mosheh and Aharon, saying: Separate yourselves from among thiscongregation, that I may destroy them quickly. But they bowed down upon theirfaces in prayer, and said: El Eloha, who hast put the spirit of life in thebodies of the children of men, and from whom is given the spirit of all flesh,-ifone man hath sinned, wilt Thou be angry with all the congregation [JERUSALEM.And they bowed on their faces, and said: O God, who rulest over the spirit ofall flesh,-if one man hath sinned, wilt Thou be wroth against all thepeople:] And the Lord spake with Mosheh, saying: I have accepted thy prayer forthe congregation. Now speak thou with them, saying: Remove away from the tentsof Korach, Dathan, and Abiram. And Mosheharose, and went to remonstrate with Dathan and Abiram; and the elders of Israelfollowed. And he said to the congregation, Remove now away from the tents ofthese men of sin, who have been worthy of death from (the days of) their youthin Mizraim, for they betrayed my secret when I slew the Mizraite; they provokedthe Lord at the sea; at Alush they profaned the Sabbath, and now are theygathered together against the Word of the Lord; and therefore is it fit thattheir wealth should be scattered abroad and destroyed. Touch not, then,anything that is theirs, nor be smitten on account of their sins. And they wentapart from the tents of Korach, Dathan, and Abiram round about. But Dathan andAbiram came out, with reviling words, and arose and provoked Mosheh at the doorof their tents, with their wives, their sons, and their little ones. And Moshehsaid, By this you shall know that the Lord hath sent me to do all these works,and that (I do them) not from the thoughts of my heart. If these men die afterthe manner of dying in which all men die, and the (common) account of all menbe accounted upon them, the Lord hath not sent me. [JERUSALEM. For not with myown heart have I devised them. If these die by the death with which the sons ofmen die, and the account of all men be accounted upon them, the Lord hath notsent me.] But if a death which hath not been created since the days of theworld be now created for them, and if a mouth for the earth, which hath notbeen made from the beginning, be created now, and the earth open her mouth andswallow them and all they have, and they go down alive into Sheul, you willunderstand that these men have provoked the Lord to anger.
Andit came to pass, when he had finished speaking these words, the earth beneaththem clave asunder; and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up, andthe men of their houses, and all the men who adhered to Korach, and all theirsubstance. And they went down with all that they had alive into Sheul; and theearth closed upon them, and they perished from the midst of the congregation.And all Israel who were round about them fled from the terror of their voice,as they cried and said, Righteous is the Lord, and His judgment is truth, andthe words of His servant Mosheh are truth; but we are wicked who have rebelledagainst him: and the children of Israel fled when they heard; for they said,Lest the earth swallow us up. And a fire came out in wrath from before theLord, and devoured the two hundred and fifty men who offered the incense. And the Lordspake with Mosheh, saying: Bid Elazar bar Aharon the priest to take away thecensers from among the burnings, and scatter the fire hither and thither; forthe censers of these guilty men who have been punished by the destruction oftheir lives are consecrated; and make of them broad plates for the covering ofthe altar, because they bare them before the Lord, therefore they areconsecrate; and they shall be for a sign to the children of Israel. [JERUSALEM.For a sign.] And Elazar the priest took the brasen censers which they who hadbeen burned had carried, and beat them out for a covering for the body of thealtar, as they had before used them for the service of the altar: for amemorial to the sons of Israel, that no common man, who is not of the sons ofAharon, may offer incense before the Lord; and that no man should behavehimself factiously to obtain the priesthood, as did Korach and the company ofhis helpers; and whose end would be to perish, not (indeed) with a death likethat of Korach and his company, by being burned by fire, and being swallowed upby the earth, but punished with leprosy:[1] <l > as when the Lord saidto Mosheh, Put thy hand into thy bosom, and his hand was stricken with leprosy;so would it be with him. But on thefollowing day the whole congregation murmured against Mosheh and Aharon,saying: You have been the occasion of the judgment of death against the peopleof the Lord. And it was, that when the congregation had gathered against Moshehand Aharon to kill them, they looked towards the Tabernacle of Ordinance, and,behold, the Cloud of the Glory of the Shekinah covered it, and the Glory of theLord was revealed there. And Mosheh and Aharon went from the congregation tothe door of the tabernacle. And the Lordspake with Mosheh, saying: Separate from the midst of this congregation, and Iwill consume them at once. But they bowed themselves on their faces in prayer.[JERUSALEM. Separate from the people of this congregation, and I will destroythem in a brief moment. But they bowed down on their faces in prayer.] And Moshehsaid to Aharon, Take the censer, put fire in it from the altar, and sweetincense on the fire; bear it quickly into the congregation, and make atonementfor them: for a destruction like that which consumed them in Horeb, whosename is Burning, hath begun by commandment to kill, from the presence of the Lord.And Aharon took, as Mosheh had said, and ran into the midst of thecongregation, and, behold the destructive burning had begun to destroy thepeople: but he put on incense, and made atonement for the people. And Aharon stoodin the midst, between the dead and the living with the censer, and intercededin prayer; and the plague was restrained. But the number who had died by theplague was fourteeen thousand and seven hundred, beside those who had died inthe schism of Korach. And Aharon returned to Mosheh at the door of thetabernacle; and the plague was stayed.
XVII.And the Lord spake with Mosheh, saying: Speak with the sons of Israel, and takeof them severally a rod, according to the house of their fathers; twelve rods;and upon each rod thou shalt inscribe its (tribe) name. But on the rod of Levithou shalt write the name of Aharon: for there is but one rod for each head of their father’s house. And thou shaltlay them up in the tabernacle before the testimony, where My Word is appointedto meet you. And the man whose rod germinateth shall be he whom I approve tominister before Me; and I will make the murmurings of the sons of Israel withwhich they have murmured against you to cease from Me.
Mosheh spake,therefore, with the sons of Israel, and the chiefs of them gave him severallytheir rods, according to the house of their fathers, twelve rods; and Aharon’srod was among theirs. And Mosheh laid up the rods before the Lord in thetabernacle of ordinance. And it came to pass, the day after, when Mosheh wentinto the tabernacle of the testimony, that, behold, the rod of Aharon hadgerminated; it had shot forth branches, blossomed with flowers, and, in thesame night, produced and ripened almonds. [JERUSALEM. And the day followingMosheh went into the tabernacle of testimony, and, behold, the rod of Aharon,of his house of Levi, had germinated, put forth buds, bloomed with flowers, andripened almonds, the fruit of the almond.]
AndMosheh brought out all the rods from before the Lord to all the sons of Israel,who recognised and took severally their rods. And the Lord said to Mosheh, Takeback the rod of Aharon, before the testimony, to be kept for a sign for therebellious children, that their murmurings may cease from before Me, lest theydie. And Mosheh did so; as the Lord commanded so did he. And the sons of Israel spake with Mosheh, saying: Behold, some of us have been consumedwith the flaming fire; some of us have been swallowed up by the earth, and haveperished! Behold, we are accounted as if all of us are to be destroyed. Any onewho approaches the tabernacle must die: are we not doomed to destruction?[JERUSALEM. And the sons of Israel spake, saying: Behold, we are consumed, andare all of us as if destroyed. Some of us have died of the plague, and some ofus the earth, opening her mouth, hath swallowed up.]
XVIII. And theLord said unto Aharon, Thou, and thy sons, and the house of thy fathers withthee, shall bear the iniquity of the consecrated things, when you nave not beenheedful in offering them; and thou and thy sons with thee shall bear theiniquity of your priesthood, when you have not been heedful of their separations.And thy brethren also of the tribe of Levi, who are called by the name of Amramthy father, shalt thou bring near to thee, that they may consociate with and ministerto thee. But thou, and thy sons with thee, (only) shall stand before thetabernacle of the testimony And they shall keep thy charge, and have charge ofall the tabernacle; yet to the vessels of the sanctuary and to the altar theyare not to come near, lest both they and you die. And they shall haveappointment from thee without, and keep charge of the tabernacle of ordinancefor all its service; and a stranger shall not come near you. And you shall keepthe charge of the sanctuary and of the altar, that there may be no more thewrath that hath been upon the children of Israel. And, behold, I have takenyour brethren the Levites from among the sons of Israel; to you they are given,a gift before the Lord, to perform the work of the tabernacle of ordinance. Butthou, and thy sons with thee, shall keep the charge of your priesthood in allthings that pertain to the altar, and (those) within the veil, and shallminister by lots, according to the service. So, provision of food have I givenyou, on account of the anointing of your priesthood; and the stranger whocometh near shall die. And the Lord saidto Aharon, And I have been pleased to give you the charge of My separatedofferings; the cakes of the firstfruits, and all the consecrated things of thechildren of Israel, to thee have I given them, on account of the anointing, andto thy sons, by an everlasting statute. They shall be to thee most sacred;whatsoever remaineth of the sheep offered by fire, all their oblations, of all theirminchas, of all their sin offerings, and of all their trespass offerings whichthey present before Me, they are most sacred for thee and for thy sons. Thoumayest eat it in the sanctuary; every male may eat thereof; on account of theholy anointing it shall be thine. And this is what I have set apart to thee oftheir separated minchas, and of all the uplifted things of the sons of Israel,to thee have I given them, and to thy sons and thy daughters with thee by aneverlasting statute. Whoever is clean in thy house may eat of it. All the bestof the olive oil, of the grape wine, and of the wheat of their firstfruitswhich they present before the Lord, I have given unto thee. [JERUSALEM. All thebest of the wheat, of the wine, and of the oil of their firstfruits.] Thefirsts of all the trees of their ground which they present before the Lordshall be thine; every one who is clean in thy house may eat them. Every devotedthin, in Israel shall be thine. Whatever openeth the womb, of all flesh amonganimals which they offer before the Lord, as the regulation concerning men, sothe regulation concerning cattle, it is to be thine: only thou art to redeemthe firstborn of man by the five shekels, and the firstlings of the uncleananimal thou shalt redeem with lambs. And the redemption of a man child of amonth old thou shalt make, according to thy estimation of him, by five shekelsof silver in the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty meahs. But thefirstlings of oxen, of sheep, or of goats thou mayest not redeem, for they aresacred; but thou shalt sprinkle their blood upon the altar, and burn their fatfor an oblation to be accepted before, the Lord. And their flesh shall bethine, for food; as the breast of the elevation, and as the right shoulder, itshall be thine. Every thing set apart of the sacred things which the sons ofIsrael consecrate to the Lord have I given to thee, to thy sons and thydaughters with thee, by a perpetual statute not to be abolished; as the saltwhich seasoneth the flesh of the oblation, because it is an everlasting statutebefore the Lord, so shall it be for thee and for thy children.
Andthe Lord said to Aharon, Thou wilt not receive a possession in their land asthe rest of the tribes, nor wilt thou have a portion among them: I am thyPortion and thy Inheritance in the midst of the children of Israel. And,behold, I have given to the sons of Levi all the tenths in Israel for apossession, on account of their service with which they serve in the work ofthe tabernacle of ordinance. And the sons of Israel shall no more come near thetabernacle to incur the sin unto death; but the Levites shall minister in thework of the tabernacle, and shall bear their sin if they be not diligent intheir work. It is an everlasting statute for your generations; but among thesons of Israel they shall have no possession. Therefore the tenths of thechildren of Israel, which they set apart for a separation before the Lord, haveI given to the Levites for a possession, because I have said to them that amongthe sons of Israel they shall possess no inheritance. And the Lordspake with Mosheh, saying: Speak to the Levites, and bid them take from thesons of Israel the tenth which I have given them for their possession; and(then) shall you separate from it a separation before the Lord, a tenth fromthe tenth; and your separation shall be reckoned to you as the corn from thethreshing floor, and as the wine from the fulness of the winepress: so shallyou set apart your separation before the Lord from all your tenths, which youmay receive from the sons of Israel, and give thereof a separation before theLord unto Aharon the priest. Of all your gifts you shall set apart a separationbefore the Lord, of all the finest and the best therein. And say thou to thepriests, When you have set apart the finest and the best of it and in it, thenshall it be reckoned to the Levites as the setting apart of corn from thethreshing-floor, and of wine from the wine-press. And you may eatit, you, the priests, in any place, you and the men of your house; for it isyour remuneration for your service in the tabernacle of ordinance. And youshall not contract guilt by it, at what time you set apart the finest and bestof it, by any one eating of it who is unclean; neither shall you profane theconsecrated things of the children of Israel, lest you die.
[1] Compare the case of King Uzziah.
[1] <l > Compare the case of King Uzziah.